Chapter 5 Flashcards
Predation
A member of one species feeds directly on a member of another species
Interspecific competition
Members of two or more species interact to gain access to the same limited resources
Parasitism
One organism feeds on the body of, or the energy used by, another organism
Mutualism
Interaction that benefits both species by providing each with a resource
Commensalism
Interaction that benefits one species but has little or no effect on the other
Resource partitioning
Species competing for similar scarce resources evolve specialized traits that allow them to use shared resources at different times, ways, or places
Population dynamics
Study of how characteristics of populations change in response to changes in environmental conditions
Age structure
The proportions of individuals at various ages in a population, pre-reproductive, post- reproductive, reproductive
Intrinsic rate of increase (r)
Rate at which the population of a species would grow if it had unlimited resources
Environmental resistance
Combination of all the factors that act to limit the growth of a poulation
Carrying capacity (K)
Maximum population of a given species that a particular habitat can sustain indefinitely without being degraded
Logistic growth
Rapid exponential population growth followed by a steady decrease in population growth until the population size levels off
r-selected species
High rate of population increase, many offspring, reproduce early in life and often, live short lives, many offspring don’t survive
K- selected species
Low population increase, reproduce later in life, have few children, live long lives, most offspring survive
Inertia/persistence
The ability of a living system to survive moderate disturbances
